St. Landry democrat., 1887-10-15

luty udu PAL tlCl Ill co5AASo" " IN
turned out to be a tirst-class scoundrel
though professed Christian. Twenty
years ago they lost all faith by what hap
pened in an oil company which was
formed amid the petroleum excitement
The company owned no land, or if tney
did, there was no sign of oil produced
but the president of the company was a
Presbyterian elder. and the treasurer
was an Episcopal vestryman, and one
director was Methodist class
leader and the other directors
prominent members Of Baptist and Con
gregatiOnal churches. Circulars were
gotten out telling what fabulous pros
poets opened before this company. In
nocent men and women who had a little
money to invest, and that little their all,
said II don't know anything about this
company, but SO many good men are at
the head of it that it must be excellent,
and taking stock in it must be almost as
good as joining the church." So they
bought the stock, and perhaps received
one dividend SO as to keep them still,
but after while they found
that the company had reorgan-
lied, and had a different presi-
dent, and different treasurer, and
different directors. Other engagements
or i'll health had caused the former Otfl-
GERS of the company, with many regrets,
to resign. And all that the subscribers
of that stock had to show for their in
vestment was a beautifully ornamented
! certificate. Sometimes that man looking
over his old papers comes across that
| certificate, and it is so suggestive that he
| VOWS he wants none of the religion that
the presidents and trustees and directors
OF that oil company prOtessed. VI course
! their rejection of religion on such grounds
! was unphilosOphical and unwise. | am
/ told that one-third of the United States
| army desert every year, and there are
| twelve thousand court martial trials
| every year Is that anything against the
! United States government that swore
them in? And if soldiers of Jesus
| Christ desert, is that anything against the
| Christianity which they SWore to support
and defend? How do YOU Judge of the
currency of country: By counter
! felt bill? Oh, you must have patience
with those who have been sWindled by
religious pretenders. Live in the pres
ence of others a frank, honest, earnest,
| Christian life, that they may be attractd
to the same Saviour upon whom ynr
hopes depend.
IttllcHluti Sht JtIClSlll dlH i4ao o'tA4> !
reason, good or bad, for existing. Goehes !
| irreligion started when the news anne |
| to Germany of the earthquake at Lipon, |
people should have persisted in that
earthquake and in the after risingjf the
| Tagus river so stirred his sympthles
that he threw up his belief in tb good
ness of God.
Others have gone into skepticm from
a natural persistence in asking tb reason
why. They have been fearfull'stabbed
of the Interrogation point. here are
so many things they cannot get eX-
planned. They cannot undefand the
/ Trinity, or how God can besovereign
and vet man free agent. Nither can
|. They say: II don't undetand why
good God should have IL sin come
into the world" Nether!o |. You
say: "Why was that cid started
in life with such disadvantages, while
| others have all physicaland mental
equipment:" | cannot tell. They
go out of church on Eastemornlng and
say: THAT doctrine of tt resurrection !
| confounded me" SO it 10 me mys-
terry beyond unravelmenf | understand '
all the processes by whi men get into
the dark. | know thl all | have II
travelled with burning ft that blstered ,
way. The first word tt children learn y
to utter is generally pa. or mamma. | 1
think the first wor1 ever uttered t
was "Whv?" knovvhat it is to have y
hundred midnightsour their darkness L
into one hour. Su, men are not to be t
scotfed at but helpe Turn your back
upon drowning IN when you have il
the rope with whico pull him ashore, S
and let that wont in the third-story ?
of house perish the flames when you W
have ladder WI which to help her il
out and help her wn, rather than turn Il
your back scoffiiF on skeptic whose II
soul is in more fil than the bodies of a
those other enngered ones possibly Sc
can be. Oh, skticism is dark land. . p
There are men this house who would Il
give a thousan7orlds, if they possessed p'
them, to get tx to the placid faith of al
their fathers mothers, and it is our G
place to helihem, and we may help il
them, never pugh their heads, but al c'
ways throt their hearts. These IL
skeptics, en brought to Jesus, tn
will be nhtily affected, far more n
so than ,se who never examined th
the eviders of Christianity. Thomas p;
Chalmers as once skeptic, Robert to
Hall a .eptic, Robert Newton a a,
skeptic. dstmas Evans a skeptic But tn
when orwith strong hand they took w
hold of : chariot Of the Gospel, they w
rolled 10 with what momentum. If WI
T addreuch men and women to-day, | sh
throw no scott. I implead them by be
the mtry of the good old days when all
at the ehother's knee they said: "Now
I Law down to Sleep" and by those
davsid nights of scarlet fever in
wiieshe watched you, giving you Eli
the licine at just the right time, and
turs your pillow when it was hot, and
witands that many years ago turned on
tost, soothed away your pain, and uo
wkoice that you will never hear again, yo
MS you join her in the better country, th'
tyou to never mind for you would wa
fbetter by and by, and by that dying Sol
ch where she looked so pale and rec
led so slowly, catching her breath Law
Iween the words, and you felt an do
full loneliness coming over your soul; do
all that, | beg you to come back nu
l take the same religion. 1t was good wh
ough for her. 1t is good enough for ella
1. Nay, [ have a better plea than chi
t. | plead by all the wounds, and 1o4
RS, and blood, and groans, and ago mo
s, and death-throes of the Son of SIN